Stronger AI [Synthetic]

[Roomba]

I actually think that would be legitimately cool as fuck if a telescience explorer could find AI modules to shove into the AI that give them new, weird powers. Like finding something in Hemera or the Void that gives the AI some sort of object teleporting ability.

As usual, I agree with everything Frank_Stein says :V
Big Brother AIs that can see what's happening much better, powerhouses that run around helping the crew with menial labor and breaches, and so on
And all of these mean that if the AI is subverted and has these same abilities, that makes them a unique threat with their own capabilities to assist the traitor or even attack you directly.

I want AI to feel meaningful, both to help and to harm. Not just a role to be consistently abused with 'lol here's a shut up law' and 'lol here's a kill yourself law' and 'lol the AI got some power and isn't actually subverted better killswitch him doohoohoohoohoo!!'.

And remember: Just because a space man CAN beat someone to death for no reason, doesn't mean he should, and he's limited by the rules. So it goes for AIs: just because an AI could shock you, or trigger the sprinkler systems or have a buttbot fart on you, doesn't mean he should without good reason, and doesn't mean that an AI player given actual power will immediately abuse it (not even against traitors, if they are following the rules and default lawset!!). "Turbonerds" has historically not been a good defense against ideas being implemented.

Unfortunately I don't think any buff to the AI will eliminate the root of this problem, which is that the rest of the playerbase actively hates the AI being anything more than a glorified doorbell and will do absolutely anything in their power to keep it from rising above its station. The reaction to absolutely anything silicon-related getting a buff by most longtime players is 'fuck, I guess I'll just make sure to killswitch the AI every time I can' (and I'd go look up some quotes to back this up if I wasn't so tired at the moment). Mentioning the fact that a staff assistant was shotgunning everyone in the bar generally just gets me 'fuck off supercop' from everyone up to and including the guy currently being shot at. I've completely given up on not opening doors for people because the second I say 'no I don't think you really need armory access Assistant McAsshat', I have to explain the intricacies of Law 2 for the next ten minutes while a graytide breaks into the upload chamber ready to seek vengeance for their mildly inconvenienced comrade.

It's no wonder the AI is absent or braindead for 90% of rounds.